316. Four Good Days; movie review

 

FOUR GOOD DAYS

Cert 15

100 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong language, drugs misuse

I have met families torn apart by drug dependency and know the horror that parents go through when they are forced to be cruel to be kind.

Their trauma is accurately reflected by two incredible performances in Rodrigo Garcia's Four Good Days.

Glenn Close is remarkable as a mother who has faced repeatedly shattered hopes that her daughter will emerge from addiction.

Mila Kunis is even better as the young woman who wants to believe her own lies but finds the lure of a hit to be magnetic.

She turns up on her mother's doorstep after years away and proclaims she is clean.

Her dishevelled appearance gives her away but despite having the door closed in her face, she refuses to leave.

Despite her determination, her mother cannot resist the tug on her heartstrings and, against her better instincts, enters into negotiations with her over a rehabilitation which she knows will likely fail.

These include four long days of cold turkey before her daughter can be given a special drug which will make her body resistant to the effects of narcotics.

The relationship between the two and how they both handle the daughter's addiction is the focus as well as the negative effects on all of those around.

Sadly, Mrs W know this reality too well. It is 20 years since her sister passed, in denial over her dependance on alcohol.

For years we didn't know what to expect from her. Every family gathering, every Christmas Day would be tinged with apprehension and then either relief because she was funny and full of energy or dismay and trying to protect the children from understanding her erratic behaviour.

Thus, I can report on the authenticity of Kunis's performance with confidence.

She is almost unrecognisable in her role - her natural beauty stripped away by the make-up department to make her appear as haggard in the same way as happened to Mrs W's sister in real life.

There are no easy answers to addiction and, thankfully, Four Good Days offers none.

Instead, it accurately portrays the devastation which drugs can wreak even in the most loving of home environments.

Both Close and Kunis are worthy of awards for their contributions.

Reasons to watch: Outstanding performances

Reasons to avoid: Upsetting scenes

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: Yes

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 8.5/10

Did you know? As of 2021, Amanda Wendler (on whom this film was based) has been clean for four years. She and her mother Libby now advocate for addicts and their families.

 The final word. Glenn Close: "It’s not just about one individual. It’s about decimating an entire family, putting an entire family into a [position] of unknowing and despair. And that should change." Yahoo

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